Where I Leave You
by Ellis Monroe
Summary: All that Fuma can remember is that his father and sister had died in a terrible car accident. Now with all of his family gone it's nearly impossible for him to find joy in the things that had once made him happy. It isn't until an unexpected encounter with a familiar face that his life has the slightest chance at finding peace and happiness again.
1. Chapter 1

This idea came to me shortly after I had finished reading the manga and still was unsatisfied with the story. This will not contain spoilers for the manga but will follow the conclusion to the anime series, so if you have not finished it please come back once you have! :)

I don't know how long this story will be, but I just want something hopeful that I can hold onto to be somewhat satisfied with and give me a sense of closure with how some of the characters felt in the end.

 **I own none of the original story!**

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

One: Reunited

He felt a light breeze creep through the open window, followed by subtle chirps from the birds perched on a near by branch from the tree.

A quiet breath heaved from his chest. _Another dreamless night._ He thought. No matter how many times he had picture the face of that girl or boy, two of the people he wanted nothing more than to see again, nothing would come to him after he would close his eyes at night with their smiles being the last image in his thoughts.

He struggled slightly to rise from the bed, the sheets slipping past his chest in a bundle as his feet touched the cold polished floor boards. It was still early in the morning. He gazed out towards his window which he forgot to close completely again as the morning light still shown a shade of blue against pavement and the sun still bellow the horizon.

After detecting a faint smell of body odor as he adjusted his loose shirt he decided a warm shower would be best to start the new early day.

The empty feeling inside the house was still an adjustment in progress for him. As the cold moisture began to warm hitting his skin he would remember again that no one would be downstairs to greet him a good morning or hope he had had a good day upon his return home. He exited the bathroom half-clothed while still rubbing the towel through his damp hair as he made his for the kitchen to reheat the leftovers from last night's dinner.

 _Has it really been two months already?_ Though the world was no longer in any danger it felt a lot more quiet and colder now than it had then. Even if the world was saved the people he had loved most were gone, and there was no way to get them back. He became more distant from his friends in school from the soccer and basket ball team he played with. They had tried reaching out to him knowing with his abrupt return to school that his father and sister had died and his absence was due for a time needed to grieve. But the sorrow that constricted his heart was something that not even time could ease.

After finishing the bowl of rice and beef he rinsed it clean in the sink and threw the towel on his shoulders in the laundry basket by the back door and walked to where his school uniform jacket was hung near the front door. He checked in the nearby mirror to confirm that he at least looked presentable before opening the door and locking it behind him. His bike rested against the tree right by his bedroom window and was about to peddle down the street to his high school when he glanced back towards the shrine seeing the two headstones in front of the tree set in their memory.

Without another seconds thought he was passed the front gate and cycling down the pavement at a medium pace as the sun was near fully revealed among a vast light blue.

* * *

"Monou?"

He glance up to meet his teacher's eyes across the room as he had written the last bit of notes from the days lesson.

"Do you mind staying after class for a while?"

"Oh, no, not at all sir," he replied with some concern.

As most of his classmates were making their way out the room and padding down the halls to the front gates he made his way over to the desk where his teacher had finished packing his materials.

"How've you been this last week?" His last teacher for the day had now made it a routine to make frequent checkups on how he was doing which made issue he was having much easier to handle now that he had someone to talk to at least.

"I've been alright for the most part. Just trying to catch up on lost time."

His teacher smiled but the look of worry in his eyes still remained. "That's really good to hear, Monou," he said with an honest smile. "But, it's getting a little difficult to really tell if you're being honest."

"What makes you say that?" he was surprised by his response.

"Well, you're nearly caught up on your studies and you've been performing very well on your exams."

"Are you sure that's not making good progress?" he tried to scoff with a laugh.

"It is good progress... but, I just get the feeling that maybe you're not allowing yourself proper time to grieve. You're grades are a lot better now than what they had used be and I'm wondering if you're spending more time taking your mind off of you're troubles than trying to use the extra to rest your mind and heal."

His eyes wandered away from his teacher to students now flooding the school grounds.

"Is there... something else on your mind that you're trying to distract yourself from?"

With the news of his father and sister's death he had left out that the long term absence of someone who had briefly appeared a this school was also a burden he carried and had hidden well until now.

"No," was his reply as before finishing his answer. "But, I guess I have been trying to distract myself with the extra attention to school."

"Why don't you not worry about the about anymore assignment for this class," his teacher said with an assuring smile.

"Are you sure, sir?"

He nodded. "Just worry about the final examinations for the rest of the school year. I'll give you an outline to follow so you'll at least have some experience in this class. I'll try to talk with the rest of your teachers and to see if they'll do the same."

"Sir, please, you don't have to do this," he said with his hands held up in defense.

"Monou," he pleaded with concern. "You've experienced great loss and you're not giving yourself proper time to heal. You're still very young and should get try reconnecting with some of the other things that made you happy."

He looked away towards the window again with a view an almost empty school yard now.

"Alright, sir," he said meeting his gaze again. "I'll take your offer and give myself more time."

His teacher sighed in relief fearing that he wouldn't have followed through. "Thank you, Monou," he said with a smile. "And, why don't take the day off tomorrow? I'll inform your other teachers that you weren't feeling good and need Friday off to rest."

"Do I have a choice in the matter?" he asked with a short laugh.

"You will if you accept it," he teacher responded laughing as well.

"Alight," he said as he began making his way for the door. "Um, sir?"

"Yes?" his teacher looked back at him with a worried glance.

"Thank you," he said with a warm smile, one that he hadn't felt his face make in quite some time.

"You're welcome Monou," he returned his smile. "I want to see you fully rested on Monday or I'll start giving you more days off, alright?" he said more sternly.

"Okay, sir," he complied as he made his way down the long empty hall.

With no other choice than to obey his teacher he began wondering what he would be doing with the extra time away from his studies. Reaching out to his soccer and basket ball friends seemed like a good start at taking his teacher's advice to try and reconnect with old thing.

As he was about round the last corner to the stairwell he felt a rough collision against his chest. He stumbled back a couple of steps and looked down to see a smaller boy on the polished floor with his school bag fallen beside him. His face was covered by a raised arm but from the faint line of moisture he hadn't quite wiped away he could tell that the younger boy had been crying.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," he quickly apologized and kneeled down with an outstretch hand. "I didn't see you coming from the corner, are you alright?" The boy was probably a couple years younger than him, most likely a first year student. His outstretched hand had slightly pulled back as the boy still lightly rubbed his shielded eyes. Had he had once seen the outline of that face once before?

"No, no. It's okay. I wasn't looking where I was going."

His voice was much deeper than the one he remembered hearing long ago. But even before his arm had come away to reveal a reddened pair of amber brown eyes had he'd been right from his suspicion about his familiarity with the boy before.

"Kamui?"

* * *

It's a little late now at the time that I have finished writing, but this looks like a good place to end with for now.

Hope you keep reading! :)


	2. Chapter 2

Here is chapter 2!

Sheesh! I can't believe it's been over a year since I posted the story. This chapter has literally been collecting dust in my doc manager since. Hahaha. Well, here it is finally!

 **I do not own anything!**

Enjoy!

* * *

Two: Conflicted

Those reddened eyes had gazed back at him in almost fear.

"What?" he said as he clasped the older boy's hand and was pulled off the floor.

"You're Kamui, right?" Why did he still have that astonished look in his eyes? Wouldn't he have remembered the face of an old friend? Even one where they had spent almost every waking moment together during their childhood.

"Y-Yes," the boy stuttered as he brought the back of his hand to his cheek ensuring that all the moisture was gone. "But, how do you know my name?"

"Kamui," he had almost pleaded. "It's me, Fuma. Fuma Monou. We used to play together all the time when you still lived here in Tokyo six years ago."

He began taking in the older boy in front of him searching for any sign familiarity with his words, but could fine nothing in his memory. "I-I'm sorry. I don't ever recall any of that," he said with a sniff.

Fuma's reminiscence was briefly brought out of attention upon realizing the boy's reddened eyes. "You were crying."

Kamui turned away from him in a feeble attempt at hiding the onslaught of new tears accumulating over his eyelids. "It's nothing," he said picking up his fallen school bag and turning to walk past Fuma.

"Wait," a larger hand reached to clasp Kamui's, stopping him in his tracks. "Please, tell me what happened. Why are you crying."

"Don't worry. I said it was nothing!" Fuma slightly flinched at his raised tone.

"Kamui, please, tell me what's troubling you. You can talk to me," he stepped forward loosening his grip on the smaller boy's hand so that he gently holding it.

"It doesn't concern you!" he shouted looking away from Fuma as he pulled his hand away from his hold. "Why would you care, I don't even know who you are!"

"Why are you saying this, Kamui?" Fuma still couldn't believe that the boy in front of him couldn't recall anything from their childhood. The days he spent with Kotori around the large tree in the park or when he would come into Fuma's room at night seeking shelter from bad dreams or stormy nights.

"Just leave me alone," he had nearly sobbed at the last word as he walked over to the stairs.

"Kamui…" Fuma felt that there was nothing he could do to comfort his old friend at that moment despite how much he wanted to. Could something so horrible have happened to Kamui that it would make him reject Fuma? Fuma shook away the thought and quickly followed Kamui down the flight of stairs. "Please, wait Kamui," he placed his hand on his shoulder. He was surprised that the boy didn't try to push him away again.

He could feel his body trembling, trying to suppress the emotions aching to break through. "My mother died two months ago."

Fuma's hand had fallen from his shoulder as he began sobbing quietly.

"I don't have any other family to go to."

He could almost hear the teardrops as they struck the floor. _So he was dealing with loss as well_. He thought. But unlike Fuma, who was getting by with some support from his grandparents, he accurately remembered Kamui telling him that he knew of no other family other than his mother.

Despite the almost fear he had seen in the boy from their encounter earlier, he couldn't control his own actions as he pulled Kamui's shoulder so that he was facing him as he took the fragile boy into his arms. "Sh, it's okay Kamui. I'm right here," Fuma assured while gently stroking his soft hair.

"I-I'm sorry," Kamui's voice cracked. "I just don't have anyone to talk to."

"Don't worry Kamui," Fuma shook his head feeling Kamui's hair brush against his chin. "I'm right here."

"Why are you being nice to me?" Kamui asked once his sobbing eased.

Fuma slightly pulled away to look the smaller boy in the eyes. They were a darker shade of pink with moisture still accumulating, and he saw that there was honesty in their gaze. "You really don't remember me Kamui?" He asked again and instinctively cupped one side of his face to wipe away a tear that was just about to escape.

Kamui shook his head lightly. Although the older boy before him was a complete stranger to him, there was a surprising amount of comfort that he took from his affection. Fuma gave off a strong protective aura that Kamui felt not only in his gestures but also in his presence. "You're a really nice guy, but I don't ever remember even seeing you when I was a kid."

"I'm surprised you don't" Fuma exhaled in disappointment. "You were so happy with Kotori and me. Even though you were with s for a few years we always remembered and talked about you."

"Kotori?" Kamui asked. His eyes were nearly dry at this point.

"She was my sister," Fuma stated with a sad smile.

"Was," Kamui said not needing to ask.

"She and my father died two months ago in a bad car accident. The authorities told me they both died instantly. No pain. I wish I could say the same for me."

"You too?" Kamui's breath trembled realizing that someone had more than an idea of the pain he was enduring.

"I've been trying to move past what happened. I still have family, but, nothing's the same without both of them in my life. I can only imagine what you must be going through."

Kamui closed his eyes and shook his head again. "No. Loss still hurts no matter what you have left after it. I just didn't think I'd ever find someone who knew."

Fuma smiled at Kamui's mood slightly improving. "Well, there is one more good thing I have now," Fuma assured.

"What?" Kamui smiled back. Seeing Fuma's face brighten had an involuntary effect on Kamui.

"You," Fuma responded.

* * *

Although Kamui knew nothing about the older boy he encountered at his new school, he allowed Fuma to walk home with him from school.

"Where do you live right now, Kamui?" Fuma asked with concern.

Kamui couldn't help but feel comforted at his question. "I just moved into a one-bedroom apartment not far from campus. The one right by the fast-food stand."

"You live by yourself too?"

"Yeah," Kamui nodded. "The inheritance I got from mom will cover the rent for the next two and a half years, so I won't have to worry about finding work until after my last year of high school. How are you doing? Living alone that is."

"I'm still getting used to the silence. Not seeing my father sweep the grounds outside our shrine. Not hearing Kotori humming while she did the dishes or laundry. Eating alone at the table..."

Their footsteps along the path remained at different tempos as they walked.

"I never had a big family before," Kamui said when the silence felt too unsettling. "But getting used to what happens afterward is still really scary."

"Yeah."

"How are you with managing money and bills?" Kamui asked.

"Father had an inheritence for Kotory and me, but since Kotori's gone too it all went to me, and my grandparents have been helping me too. It all could keep me going well into college."

"Wow," Kamui smiled at hearing some good news for Fuma. "So there's not much for you to worry about in terms of financial issues."

"No," Fuma said shifted his steps so he was closer to Kamui. "But I am worried about you Kamui. It worries me that you don't remember who I am."

"I wish I did Fuma. You seem like a really nice friend to have. And to be honest, part of me wishes what you told me about your childhood was real. I wish I had a friend like you."

"I _can_ be your friend, Kamui," Fuma smiled sincerely at the smaller boy.

"Thank you, Fuma," he muttered a short laugh that made Fuma's heart skip a beat. He couldn't remember the last time he saw him laugh or smile.

The path they were one came to an end with an additional one branching in a different direction. Kamui's footsteps were the first to stop. Fuma grew a little disappointed from what he knew was about to happen.

"My place is this way," Kamui said, his thoughts matching Fuma's.

"Oh..."

"For what it's worth, you're probably the only good thing that's happened to me in a while now." Kamui couldn't bring himself to look at Fuma directly.

"Kamui," Fuma almost pleaded.

"I don't really want to today to end so quickly. Especially knowing someone like you exists."

"It doesn't have to," Fuma reassured him, stepping up to him and placing both hands on his shoulder.

Kamui looked up at the older bow towering over him. Many other classmates were intimidated by Fuma's height and strength, but Kamui knew from a strong feeling that Fuma was a gentle young man. "Really?"

"Yes," Fuma smiled again, only convincing Kamui more of the taller boy's kindness. "It never has to," and he gently pulled the smaller boy into his arms again. Only this time, Kamui returned the gesture by wrapping his own arms around him.

* * *

Few! I definitely feel like I could add more to this chapter, but this feels like a good place to stop. I've just been meaning to continue this little story for some time now. Hopefully, any of you reading this for the first time like it! And for the few of you who have read this from the beginning, I'm sorry for keeping you waiting!


End file.
